There is increasing awareness that mental health is an important
issue worldwide and it is estimated that as many as 1 in 4 people
will experience a mental health problem at some point in their
lives (WHO, 2001). The challenges of having renal failure, or of
supporting someone with renal failure, can exacerbate problems
such as anxiety, panic or depression and may lead some people to
experience these problems for the first time in their lives.
Illness and treatment regimens place an additional burden on
people who may already be dealing with on-going stress in other
parts of their lives:

Research evidence consistently demonstrates that
people with long-term conditions are two to three
times more likely to experience mental health problems
than the general population. (The King’s Fund, 2012)

It is normal to experience difficult feelings when faced with a
serious illness. However, if you are experiencing difficult
feelings that affect your ability to manage your condition or
that have a negative impact on your day-to-day functioning then
it is important to seek help.

Your GP and our Renal
Counsellor might be able to help you manage your feelings
better or you may prefer to access self-help materials before or
alongside accessing professional support.

The following are some useful links to self-help resources
for managing common mental health problems:

Mindfulness based approaches are becoming increasingly popular in
the management of mild to moderate mental health problems such as
depression and anxiety. There is also evidence to suggest that
mindfulness based approaches can have a beneficial effect on the
management of chronic illness and pain.
(Mindful Nation UK Report by the Mindfulness All-Party
Parliamentary Group, 2015)

Naylor et al. (2012) Long Term Conditions and Mental Health,
The Cost of Co-morbidity. The King’s Fund, London.
World Health Organisation (2001) The world health report
2001 - Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hop.
Published online http://www.who.int/whr/2001/en/